Vital Signs: Disability justice

January 1, 2025 has come and gone, and with it, the deadline for implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), a statute enacted 20 years ago to improve accessibility standards.

Experts have warned that Ontario is “nowhere near” being fully accessible. In this episode of Vital Signs, Rudi Wallace welcomes Brad Evoy (Executive Director, Disability Justice Network of Ontario) to talk about the AODA and how it fares relative to disability justice, a concept that includes understanding how disability intersects with other aspects of identity like racialization, gender and access to shelter.

Key quotes:

“The whole purpose of DJNO is to build a world where disabled people are free to be and for us that means having the space and ability to hold systems and people to account for the different kinds of spaces they create.”

“When we look at ‘disability rights’, we’re talking about our legal rights. With ‘disability justice’, we bring in other angles when looking at disability – issues around race, gender, class…[and] the interconnectedness of our communities.”

“The problems with the AODA is that 1) enforcement is incredibly weak…2) some areas where there are no standards are not covered by the AODA…3) there hasn’t been enough investment in it for the past 20 years.”

“When we talk about language, we’re talking about the models we use to understand disability. In a lot of ways our experiences of disability are not just a medial process; in reality they are a social process…how society is structured.”

“A lot of people who are unhoused are folks with disabilities. Overwhelmingly, people with disabilities are having issues with housing. The number of people are accessing Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program and are unhoused has doubled since 2022.”

“Disability activists across the country have said that long-term care spaces are a form of institutionalization, similar in some ways to the prison system, not having freedom of movement, being isolated and punished.”

“Just Care involves building up public home care, including individual and family decision making and ensuring that care workers can protect their rights as well.”